PETALING JAYA: A total of 36,469,617 doses of Covid-19 vaccine have been administered in Malaysia as of Sunday (Sept 5). According to figures put out by the Special Committee on Covid-19 Vaccine Supply (JKJAV) on its Twitter account on Monday (Sept 6), a total of people 20,543,016 (or 87.8% of the adult population) have received their first dose while 15,926,601 (or 68% of the adult population) had both doses. It also said that a total of 289,958 doses of Covid-19 vaccines were administered on Sunday where 136,177 individuals had received their first doses while another 153,841 people completed their second dose.

With our Building Trust Awards, we aspire to create greater awareness of how trust is gaining traction in Malaysia, especially amid today’s disruptive landscape. The PwC Malaysia Building Trust Awards is back this year for the fourth iteration since its inaugural edition in 2015. According to the Edelman Trust Barometer, the level of trust in Malaysian institutions had been on a declining trend at the time PwC organised its inaugural Building Trust Awards in 2015. Through the firm’s Building Trust programme, PwC has also been engaging with start-ups on the importance of trust. With the landscape changing so quickly, what grounds us is that building trust is a journey in resilience.

Across the country, it was 10:03 a.m. and United Flight 93 had just crashed into a Pennsylvania field. They said it was United Flight 93,” said Grandcolas, 58. For years, Grandcolas bristled at the term "9/11 anniversary.” An anniversary is something to celebrate. A plaque honors Lauren Grandcolas, who died on United Flight 93. On the 20th anniversary, Grandcolas finds himself thinking back to how the country came together after 9/11, which he sees as a stark contrast to the division plaguing America today.

THE Yakult Malaysia factory in Seremban remains closed because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Entrants are encouraged to submit as many entries as possible to increase their chances of joining the virtual game show. The champion of the virtual game show will win RM10,000 while runner-ups will receive RM5,000. During the virtual game show, there will be a segment where viewers will get a chance to experience the process of making probiotic drinks at the Yakult factory virtually. “With this family-themed virtual game show, they will get to spend quality time with their loved ones and have fun together at home.”For details, visit www.yakult.com.my

TAXI and limousine drivers based at Penang International Airport are hard hit as the travel ban continues due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Reaching out to help them were Social Security Organisation (Socso) and Malaysia Muslim Consumers Association which joined forces in aid of the Penang Airport Limousine Drivers Association. To ensure the safety of the drivers, a drive-through giveaway was held to present aid worth RM100 each to the 100 taxi drivers. Earlier, we handed out 200 boxes of rations to the taxi and limo drivers at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Penang Airport Limousine Drivers Association chairman Hafizi Ahmad said it had been a difficult time for members as they had not been getting any income.

The three-wheeled motorised vehicle, which is painted vibrant red, has been drawing a lot of attention from motorists passing by the main road. Tuk-tuk owner Syed Mohd Izwar Syed Gerald Jalil, 41, said his previous vehicle broke down so he decided to sell his nasi kenduri using a tuk-tuk. “It is most convenient selling food using the vehicle and most importantly, it is unique,” said Syed Mohd Izwar when met at the stall recently. “My regulars continue to love my food and I get new customers who are attracted to my tuk-tuk. “I am happy with my business,” said Syed Mohd Izwar.

ALTHOUGH flooding incidents have reduced in recent years, residents in low-lying areas such as in Jalan P. Ramlee, George Town, still get anxious whenever it rains heavily. “In the past, we used to face about four major floods each year and there were times when the water level rose up to chest level. “If it rains at night, I would not sleep but watch the water level in the drain outside,” she said. “The areas are Jalan P. Ramlee, Jalan Terengganu, Jalan York, Jalan Free School, Kampung Rawa, Kampung Dodol, Kampung Makam, Dhoby Ghaut and the perimeter around the City Stadium. Jalan P. Ramlee is well-known for being a flood hotspot every time it rains.

In the end, Hayati says 80% of the devices she ended up giving to the students were brand new. She adds that all the devices are sent to the teachers who will then distribute them to the rightful students. Although they provide devices to both primary and secondary school students, Hayati says they prioritise upper secondary students as they need to take their exams. For now, even though the initial requests for devices have all been fulfilled, Hayati says the project is ongoing. “As long as there are underprivileged students who need devices, and also people who are willing to help them, we will continue doing this,” she concludes.

AMONG the many issues facing Malaysia’s new government is that of the increasingly long wait for citizenship, particularly in cases requiring the Home Affairs minister’s approval. The case of Pua Ah Tee (“Dream come true, finally”, The Star, May 4; online at bit.ly/star_longwait) who received his citizenship after a 20-year wait is a typical example. Many citizenship applicants have drawn my attention to their dilemma. If the large number of these stateless people don’t have birth certificates (through no fault of theirs) there are other ways to determine their eligibility for citizenship. The injustice of denying them citizenship these many years is accentuated by the fact that, as it is widely known, many foreigners have been granted fast-tracked citizenship without hassle.

WHILE the terms and regulations of the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) programme are under discussion for existing MM2H visa holders and future applicants, consideration should be given to the dependants of current principal visa holders. This is not reasonable, especially if the visa at the time of the principal’s death has many years left to run, but more especially if the dependants are required to meet the proposed new terms. The dependent should be able to continue with the visa for the time left, and then be able to renew the visa. The loss of a partner is stressful enough without having to go through the process of a new MM2H application, especially under the new proposed terms. Existing MM2H visa holders should be able to renew their visas under the same terms, as was understood when they were granted MM2H status originally, and not be required to reapply for MM2H under the vastly inflated new terms.

PETALING JAYA: The ability of artificial intelligence (AI) to process a huge amount of data makes it an important enabler in ultimately helping humans drive better outcomes. “The only way to deliver value to the customer is if the business understands how the technology translates to value,” said the executive. Data can be accessed via open APIs documented within ServiceNow documentation and the Common Services Data Model (CSDM),” Ng said. He said a Fortune 500 consumer goods and services company is able to predict issues in the Azure cloud to reduce user interruptions. The AI system is effectively able to give a potential outage heads-up to the team,” Ng said.

That’s the question Wall Street stock traders are trying to answer. And that uncertainty is showing up in various corners of the market, where some stocks are bucking conventional expectations. Peloton is down 41% from its January high and faces product recalls and shrinking interest in its pricey at-home fitness products. “The shifts that are happening now aren’t really consistent with the whole Covid winners, Covid losers of a year ago,” Charles Schwab chief investment strategist Liz Ann Sonders said. The divergence in the performance of these stocks and companies like Peloton and Zoom shows that investors need to be thinking like stock pickers rather than focusing on entire groups.

KLANG: All teachers should be required to get vaccinated against Covid-19 as their work involves dealing with the young who are susceptible to the deadly coronavirus, say many interest groups. “Given the above and the risk that unvaccinated teachers pose to students, teachers can and should be compelled to be vaccinated,’’ he added. “I call upon all teachers to be good examples by getting vaccinated,’’ said Siva Subramaniam who is also a former Suhakam commissioner. Another retired teacher Ng Sau Chan concurred, saying teachers must take note that they were dealing with young children daily. “Parents may opt not to send their children to school if they find out the teachers are not vaccinated,’’ said Ng.

SIBU Municipal Council (SMC) chairman Clarence Ting is advising shoppers to look for vaccination certificates issued by the council before entering certain establishments. Ting said shoppers should look out for SMC vaccination certificates before going into business premises, especially food and beverage outlets and supermarkets. He added that a total of 160 out of 720 eateries in its jurisdiction had the vaccination certificate. “Councillors and staff had distributed the vaccination certificates to F&B outlets that had applied after all their workers were vaccinated. The council would be issuing similar certificates to hair salons that have met the same criteria, he added.

KOTA KINABALU: Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin (pic) is slated to visit Sabah on Monday (Sept 6), one of the states with a critical Covid-19 situation amid a slower vaccination rate than the national average. Khairy's agenda includes attending a state Covid-19 Immunisation Task Force meeting with Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor. The duo are scheduled to address the media after the meeting. When in town, Khairy would also visit Queen Elizabeth Hospital 1 as well as Papar Hospital, about an hour's drive from the State capital. The Health Minister's presence was expected to address issues of medical frontliners overwhelmed with high Covid-19 cases, as well as claims of healthcare facilities being exhausted to the maximum.